There is a recognized and compelling need for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of common infectious diseases in environments that may be remote from a laboratory. While the field of in vitro diagnostics for the testing for infectious pathogens in human patient, animal, and environmental is well established, it is largely confined to centralized laboratory testing in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) rated medium-complexity or high-complexity facilities. Commonplace techniques used in such centralized laboratories include traditional culturing of specimens, immunological assaying using Enzyme-Linked Immunosuppressant Assay (ELISA), nucleic acid testing (such as polymerase chain reaction, PCR), and other methods. These techniques generally all require complex, expensive, and fixed-site instrumentation along with highly skilled laboratorian staff to operate said equipment, and are therefore unsuitable for PON applications. The present invention resolves the obstacles to realizing PON medical diagnostic devices suitable for use in decentralized (e.g. out-patient clinic, doctor's office, remote field setting, and other low resource settings) locations.